The rivalry between The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 coaches, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson, will culminate at UFC 100 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11.
UFC President Dana White revealed that with a win, "The Count" would earn a title shot, which would likely take place in the United Kingdom later this year.
Bisping — TUF 3 light heavyweight winner and current British UFC posterboy — blasted his way onto the "U.S. vs. U.K." season of TUF with a unanimous decision victory over Chris Leben at UFC 89 in October 2008.
He has looked reborn since dropping down from 205 to 185 pounds, thrashing Jason Day at UFC 85: "Bedlam" and putting it on Charles McCarthy at UFC 83 for the majority of the first round to earn a technical knockout win after "Chainsaw" could not answer the bell for the second frame.
This is without question the biggest fight of Bisping’s career. Not only because it has title shot implications, but because Henderson is a crafty veteran who has competed against many of the best in the sport throughout his prestigious career.
Indeed, Henderson would be a huge feather in the Brit’s cap and perhaps signal a changing of the guard in the 185-pound division.
Not surprisingly, Bisping has a nation of MMA fans behind him back home. Among them are some of the best and brightest on the current British fight scene who made their predictions over at UFC.com on the upcoming fight.
This may come as a shock, but Bisping swept the UK predictions by a score of 6-0.
Take a look.
From Dan "The Outlaw Hardy:"
"My prediction is Bisping by unanimous decision. I see the fight being a back-and-forth battle, with Bisping avoiding big haymakers and fighting out of the clinch quite a lot. I can’t see Henderson getting stopped, but I think Mike will outwork him and land the better shots. Bisping will steadily land quality strikes on Dan and avoid getting put on his back."
Paul "Tellys" Kelly:
"I’m not being biased because we’re teammates, but I truly believe Mike will dominate Henderson. With the form that Mike is showing right now and the shape that he’s in, I don’t see how many middleweights can beat him. He’s only a couple of steps away from a title now and I’ve never seen him hungrier. I’m convinced he’ll be holding that UFC middleweight title by the end of the year. The Mike Bisping that we all see in the gym is unbeatable at middleweight. He’s too fit, too strong and too good for all of them."
Terry Etim:
"I see Mike taking the fight and winning in style. He needs to use his footwork well and avoid Henderson’s takedowns. Even if Henderson does take Mike down, I can still see Mike just getting straight back up. Mike is in his prime right now and he seems to be getting better with each and every fight. I’ve got no doubt he’ll raise his game even further against Henderson. This is Mike’s time now. Henderson was a double-champion in PRIDE and beating him will be a massive scalp for Mike."
Ross "Real Deal" Pearson:
"This is Mike’s time to shine now. He’s proven himself in the UFC with wins over some good guys and I now think he’s ready to take on the elite level. Before The Ultimate Fighter I had no idea how good Mike was. I’d always looked up to him as a fighter, but I never truly knew how good he was before I started training with him. It was a complete shock to me when I discovered just how good Mike was in all departments - stand-up, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Mike wasn’t even in fighting shape during the show and I was still amazed at some of the stuff he could do."
For more UK predictions on the chances of Michael Bisping including "Relentless" Paul Taylor and John Hathaway, head over to UFC.com .
To catch up on all the latest happenings for UFC 100 click here .
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